Our nephew is purchasing a new build apartment in Wimbledon with a mortgage from Clydesdale. His conveyancer has said that there is a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. This document is news to me - what is it and who needs sight of it?

The document is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when requested. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Clydesdale conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

I have a decision in principle. The bank mentioned the loan came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to use their panel solicitor as I would prefer to appoint a Wimbledon based conveyancing firm?

Do check but the the probability is that give you one of their panel conveyancers should you accept the "fee-free" offer. Call the bank and ask if they offer you a cash alternative. It is not unheard for a lender to give a £250 cashback as a further option in which case that money can go towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor near Wimbledon.

How do I locate a Wimbledon solicitor on the Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel? I have wheels and am willing to travel upto 10miles to meet the conveyancer.

You can use the search on this website. Please pick a mortgage company and your location and you will see a number of Wimbledon conveyancing lawyers locally. We have listed some Wimbledon conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can contact them to check whether they are on the Chelsea Building Society member panel

I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for residential conveyancing in Wimbledon. I've land on a web site which looks to be the perfect offering If it is possible to get all this stuff done via phone that would be preferable. Should I be wary? What should out be looking out for?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

I am attracted to a two maisonettes in Wimbledon both have about forty five years remaining on the leases. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold apartment in Wimbledon is a wasting asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it adversely affects the marketability of the premises. The majority of buyers and lenders, leases with under eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a property with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Wimbledon conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

After months of negotiations we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Wimbledon. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Wimbledon conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Wimbledon premises is 629 Garratt Lane in September 2014. The consideration payable for the acquisition of the freehold of the subject property was the sum £21,302.74. This represented a valuation of the freehold in the sum of £23,864 from which the sum of £2561.27 has been deducted in respect of certain costs in repairing and insuring the premises This case was in relation to 3 flats. The unexpired term was 72.94 years.